According to the 2010 edition of Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese, the target amount of salt intake was reduced. Thus, it was set to less than 9 g in adult males and to less than 7.5 g in adult females. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey carried out in 2009, the daily salt intake of Japanese was 11.6 g in males and 9.9 g in females. The intake was reduced as compared with that in the previous year, but did not reach the target amount at present. Accordingly, reduced salt type food is required widely over the entire dietary life so as to reduce the salt intake.
Margarines marketed for home use are divided roughly into margarines for confectionery and bread and table margarines. Margarines for confectionery and bread include products containing no salt, while table margarines usually contain 1.0 to 1.8% by weight of a salt. The amount of a salt is similar to that of a commercially available butter. Herein, it is not easy for consumers to feel saltiness in a water-in-oil type of emulsified fat or oil composition such as margarines, as compared with other foods having a similar salt concentration. Since reduced salt type margarines having a salt concentration of about 0.3 to 1.0% by weight exhibits slight saltiness, it was a problem that sufficient taste is not obtained.
In order to solve this problem, a method for producing a plastic fat or oil composition in which an average cooling rate is 5° C./second or more is disclosed (Japanese Patent No. 4,588,007). Although margarines for kneading having satisfactory plasticity can be produced by this production method, sufficient saltiness as shown in the below-mentioned Examples cannot be exhibited.
Also, there is disclosed a spread which really melts in the mouth and spreads satisfactory flavor by using a phospholipid and an emulsifier in combination (Japanese Patent No. 3,459,655). Although melt-in-the-mouth of a low fat spread can be improved, sufficient saltiness can not be obtained in a spread having a salt concentration of less than 1.0% by weight.
Accordingly, it is required to develop a water-in-oil type fat or oil composition such as margarines, which has a low salt content and exhibits sufficient saltiness.    Patent document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4,588,007    Patent document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3,459,655